Teacher leadership is a powerful process for improving teaching and increasing student achievement (Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009; York-Barr & Duke, 2004), but the conditions that allow teachers to lead meaningfully often vary across schools and districts. When teachers are trusted, resourced, and provided opportunities for collaboration they can step into leadership that extends far beyond their own classrooms. Conversely, when structures, culture, or administrative support are absent teacher leadership is constrained or even stifled.

My qualitative research (Richardson, 2019) has found both positive and negative factors that influence teacher leadership. To illustrate the positive factors, I’ll share the real-world example of how supportive conditions enabled teacher Jessica Townsend to develop her leadership identity and later become an administrator who now creates those same conditions for others.

Positive factors impacting teacher leadership

My research found that teachers step into leadership when three conditions are in place: they are supported by administrators, they are offered legitimate opportunities to contribute, and they experience collaboration as part of the school’s culture. Although individual characteristics including initiative, credibility with peers, and a commitment to student learning shape the trajectory of teacher leadership, these qualities alone are insufficient. Leadership identity is socially constructed, developing in interaction with others and sustained when organizational contexts legitimize teacher contributions.

Principals who trust teachers to lead, provide access to resources, and create structures that legitimize teacher voice effectively open pathways for distributed leadership (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). And when administrators affirm teacher strengths, encourage risk-taking, and provide constructive feedback, this allows teachers to develop a leadership identity, which further drives their engagement in leadership activities.

Structures such as professional learning communities, grade-level teams, and interdisciplinary initiatives create space for teachers to contribute beyond their classrooms and also foster a culture of collaboration. I found these collaborative structures not only enabled teachers to share expertise but also served as the social context in which leadership identity emerged. This is consistent with prior research that finds teachers are more willing to take on leadership roles in environments where professional trust, collegiality, and shared responsibility are valued (Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009).

A real-world example: Jessica Townsend’s leadership in action

The convergence of these positive conditions is evident in the experience of Jessica Townsend, whose teacher leadership journey began when she became the first math interventionist at Alfred S. Forrest Elementary School in Hampton, Virginia. Recognizing her expertise, the school principal intentionally created opportunities for her to lead beyond her role. Rather than limiting her contributions to intervention support, the principal invited Jessica to co-facilitate professional learning, lead grade-level data conversations, and collaborate with colleagues on instructional improvement. These opportunities paired trust with structural support, normalizing teacher leadership and enabling her influence to extend schoolwide.

Reflecting on this experience, Jessica explained, “She trusted me to lead conversations with teachers and didn’t feel like she had to control every detail. That freedom gave me the confidence to step into leadership without fear that I was overstepping” (Richardson, 2019, p. 152).

Today, Jessica serves as an assistant principal at Bassette Elementary School in Hampton. In this role she intentionally creates the very conditions that once enabled her own growth: validating teachers’ expertise, creating time for collaboration, and distributing leadership across staff. Her experience illustrates not only the immediate impact of supportive conditions but also the long-term benefit of cultivating a pipeline of leaders who carry forward a vision of distributed leadership.

Jessica’s case demonstrates that teacher leadership is not merely about individual initiative but about the convergence of administrator support, collaborative culture, and legitimizing structures. Without these even the most skilled teachers may struggle to sustain leadership roles.

Negative factors impacting teacher leadership

While positive conditions enable growth, my research has also identified several barriers that consistently impede teacher leadership: isolation and role ambiguity, workload and burnout, lack of administrative support, and cultural and structural constraints.

Teachers with leadership responsibilities may feel isolated from peers or caught between faculty and administration. I found that teachers with leadership potential often experienced uncertainty about their authority and legitimacy, particularly when expectations were unclear.

Teacher leaders frequently take on additional responsibilities without reductions in teaching load. This can lead to role overload and burnout, especially when leadership tasks occur outside contractual hours.

Just as supportive principals enable leadership, unsupportive or inconsistent administrators can undermine it. Leadership roles without clear guidance or public endorsement may become tokenistic rather than transformative, limiting both teacher influence and identity development.

Traditional school cultures that value compliance over creativity or prioritize hierarchy over empowerment can impede leadership. Similarly, schools without embedded structures for shared decision-making, collaboration, or professional learning often limit teachers’ ability to act as leaders.

Putting it into practice

The research suggests schools and districts seeking to develop teacher leadership should consider the following actionable steps.

• Position principals as gatekeepers of leadership.
  • Model trust. Distribute authority.
  • Legitimize teacher voices.
  • Create the conditions for teachers to thrive as leaders.
• Build structures that embed leadership.
  • Schedule collaboration time.
  • Establish leadership teams.
  • Integrate teacher-led professional learning.
  • Make leadership a core part of organizational practice, not an add-on.
• Cultivate a pipeline.
  • Provide authentic leadership opportunities.
  • Support teachers in transitioning into formal leadership roles.
  • Invest in teacher leadership as preparation for the next generation of school leaders.

For schools and districts, the lesson is clear: Teacher leadership is intentional, not incidental. By creating conditions where teachers are trusted, resourced, and empowered to lead, administrators strengthen instructional practice, foster collaboration, and prepare future school leaders. The next and final installment of this Teachers Are Leaders series will build on this theme by examining how structured teacher leadership development programs can further support leadership pipelines across districts.